One of the most prominent inspectors general in the federal government is retiring on April 19. Brian Miller has been IG at the General Services Administration for nine years. He has sent his resignation letter to President Barack Obama. Executive Editor Jason Miller tells Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the IG's greatest accomplishments. Read Federal News Radio's related article.

OMB reported agencies avoided spending $3 billion on travel and conferences in 2013 as compared to 2010. Senate lawmakers are concerned how to ensure agencies don't slide back into old habits of lavish spending on conferences.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and the GSA inspector general released separate, but related, reports that show GSA abused its authority to give Senior Executive Service (SES) members bonuses between 2009 and 2011. GSA official said they have since fixed these problems. McCaskill also found that on average the Labor Department, the Navy and the National Science Foundation handed out more than one bonus per SES employee.

The acting administrator of GSA said he met with IG Brian Miller and David Shea after accusations the IG investigator's tactics were overly aggressive in looking into the recent SmartPay Conference. Tangherlini also expects to receive suggestions on how the CIO reorganization would work, and how to go forward with the reduction of FAS fees in the coming weeks.

Senate lawmakers and the agency's Inspector
General say the strategy to reorganize the
General Services Administration and make it more
accountable is on the right track. Acting
Administrator Dan Tangherlini said he will
consolidate IT and HR across the agency, and
reduce contracting fees charged by the Federal
Acquisition Service.

In a routine pre-hearing briefing call, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee staff members asked Brian Miller about his staff's decision to knock on a GSA employee's door after 11 p.m. at the SmartPay conference last month. Miller and acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini are scheduled to testify Sept. 12 before the committee on changes the agency has made in light of the conference spending scandals.

The General Services Administration's inspector
general investigated the agency's recent
SmartPay Training Conference and found no
wrongdoing or elaborate spending. But the
approach taken by the GSA inspector has left
some at the agency uneasy. According to a draft
memo obtained by Federal News Radio, tactics
used by the investigator included a late night
awakening and interrogation of the GSA executive
in charge of the conference.

House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee lawmakers were expected to ask the
agency's inspector general to look into the 14th
Annual SmartPay conference happening this week
in Nashville. GSA says all conferences must go
through a multi-step approval process, including
those already in the planning stages for 2012
and beyond.